The HEC process is a waste material management program for industrial paint spray booths, as described in more detail below. Solid wastes from a paint spray booth are collected ultimately as a sludge phase which generally is suitable for transfer, without further treatment, to a waste-derived fuels program. The HEC process also generates an oil phase, which can be recycled, and a water phase. Such water phase routinely has a significant concentration of solutes of both the organic and inorganic type. Reduction of the contaminants in that water phase, particularly the organic contaminants, is highly desirable prior to discharging the water, and is essential if such water phase is to be rendered suitable for recycle to the HEC process.
As in most every decontamination program on an industrial scale, the economics of the method(s) employed is very important. A suitable method must be cost effective, and the cost factors to be considered include the energy demands of the method, the costs of materials used, the depletion of the materials used, the space and/or time requirements of the method, the servicing time required, the equipment required, the effectiveness of the method for the purposes of greatest priority, and the like.
The object of the present invention is to provide a cost effective method for a decontamination program applied to the water phase (break water) derived from the HEC process, and other objects as described below. The object of the present invention is also to provide a cost effective method for such a program applied to paint spray booth waste waters other than from the HEC process.